Why Ad Copy Still Matters in 2024 (+ 8 Brilliant Examples)

There’s only a handful of ways we can make people do what we tell them to. We can force them, of course. They might even fall to our demands once. But what if we need people to take a repetitive action and also feel good about it?

There’s only one sustainable way — persuasion. Verbal persuasion works best, and this is why ad copy still matters in 2024. Let’s learn how to win the consumer over with the power of words.

What is an ad copy?

Besides being defined simply as a text for advertising, ad copy is a strange kind of cognitive animal. It lurks around with the aim of persuading, charming, and seeding the idea of purchase straight into the consumer's brain. Its purpose is to captivate and motivate potential customers, pushing them into the sales funnel. 

Sounds a bit manipulative, but most people actually prefer this approach rather than having a salesperson talk them into making a purchase. Also, good ad copy resembles art: it triggers thought, raises emotions, and becomes a part of the culture.

The most important thing in successful ad creation is getting into the consumer’s head. 

Any ad copy tries to grab the attention, state the benefits, dismiss any objections, spark a desire, and give a direction (with a clear call to action). 

If the ad copy succeeds in all of those, it becomes a truly great one, and those are rare. In all less-than-extraordinary cases, advertisers combine a few aspects by carefully crafting ad copy and normally finish with a CTA. 

Ad copy creation—copywriting—is preparing and writing texts that are considered to be advertising. The definition is extremely simple, but behind this simplicity, once again, lies a considerable amount of complexity, as advertising text manipulates the minds of plenty to promote the goods, the services, or the business. And today, no business can do without promotion.

Why is ad copy called copy?

There are different theories of the origin of the term, most of them very Latin, semiotic, and boring. So we’ll offer an original theory: since the ad industry exploded with press distribution, let’s say it was all because of Guttenberg. Before him, text was “copied” by hand, allowing a big margin of mistakes, variations, and the personal touches of each rewriter. 

After Guttenberg invented the first printing press around 1440, he could make many copies of the same lithographic plate with text. This was the first time the text actually became “a copy." And already in 1476 or 1477, printer William Caxton issued the first book advertisement.

The wide use of copywriting texts for sales promotion and distribution of information has existed since the early 18th century. Claude Hopkins (1866–1922) is considered the father of copywriting because he studied consumer behavior before writing texts for his advertising campaigns. Evidence that copywriting was spreading in various places and being practiced by specialized professionals dates back to 1892. It was this year that the NW Ayer and Son agency started gathering creative teams, including copywriters.

Times changed, and people's media-saturated lifestyle contributed to the evolution of copywriting into the ad copy we have today: strong CTAs and storytelling, brevity and clarity, and a consumer-centered approach. Since 1892, through economic peaks and devastating waves of crisis, there has been a steady increase in demand for specialized copywriters.

How important is ad copy?

Ad copy plays a vital role in marketing and advertising. It's often the first thing potential customers see, so it needs to grab attention and make a strong impression quickly. Good ad copy communicates a brand's identity and unique selling points in a concise, compelling way.

Ad copy for driving sales

The power of a well-crafted copy lies in its ability to persuade. It can convince people of a product's value and encourage them to take action, whether that's making a purchase or signing up for a service. This directly impacts conversion rates and return on investment for advertising campaigns.

Good ad copy can quickly boost sales by appealing to customer needs and desires. It encourages immediate action by using various cognitive biases or solid facts. Using clear, persuasive language and strong CTA, effective copy should be able to turn interest into sales and drive up revenue.

Ad copy for brand recognition

Beyond just selling, good copy engages customers and sparks interest in a brand. Ad copy needs to be adaptable, too, working across various platforms and media while always staying legally compliant.

Apart from actual selling, great ad copy helps build brand recognition and loyalty. It creates memorable messages that define a brand’s identity and values, which are later distributed to a wide group of potential customers or decision-makers. Good ad copy is important for a brand to stand out in a crowded market, especially in the consumer goods sector. By demonstrating ethical value, ad copy fosters a strong, lasting connection with customers.

The quality of ad copy is a critical component that influences the customer’s perception, drives engagement, and, ultimately, affects the company's revenue. That's why businesses invest significant resources in creating powerful, effective ad copy in-house or with the help of agencies.

How to write good ad copy

In general, writing good copy requires an understanding of human psychology, common biases, and manipulations, but also a sense of awareness, responsibility, and literacy. Awareness is needed to keep the focus on overall goals, and responsibility is the key to keeping ads real and not overpromising. 

But literacy is not so much about grammar, spelling, or stylistics (although such literacy is generally very desirable). Literacy is needed from a marketing perspective, which may not coincide with actual literacy. The best example would be the most famous slogan, “Got milk?” which does not have amazing grammar. 

Deviation from proper forms of grammar and punctuation allows the second and third layers to a seemingly trivial message. 

However, the feeling of proper vs. playful is really about what one needs to be to write good ad copy. The answer to how to write good advertising copy is more practical and consists of several parts. 

Audience research 

Speaking from personal experience in the world of marketing, it’s impossible to write anything good without having an ad copy consumer persona. This persona is a layered concept that consists of specific objectives for different parts of the business. It is very common to mash all of the delicate aspects of consumer persona into a Cronenberg monster of demographics, habits, needs, business goals, and financial means. 

However, the persona of the product consumer is not equal to the persona of the ad copy or brand consumer. So, before writing ad copy, one must define the marketing goals for the specific ad copy. For example, if the marketing objective for the specific campaign is brand recognition, the target audience of ad copy is literally anyone, regardless of whether they match the product's target demographics.

Knowing your medium

The other crucial aspect of writing good ad copy is adapting it to the chosen medium. Every channel has its own perks, and every algorithm is promoting specific types of content. 

Here’s a table summarizing the best social media platforms for different types of ad copy, along with tips for each:

Copy testing and analysis

After all the necessary preparations and actual writing, the most important and most overlooked stage of copywriting begins. Ad copy is a tool, and it has a very specific purpose dictated by the strategy. And the progress towards achieving this goal can be traced with performance analytics.   

The only sure way to track the best ad copy throughout social media is to use an advanced analytics tool. With a professional tool like that, one can not only analyze their ad performance but also optimize this ad based on data. To get access to these advanced insights, try Madgicx's Ad Copy Insights, an AI-powered tool for Meta ad copy analytics.

Ad Copy Insights from Madgicx helps you identify and scale high-performing ad copy while pausing underperforming content to prevent budget leaks. It offers audience-specific insights and provides a comprehensive analysis of copy elements such as text length, emojis, and links. Give it a try to understand how your copy is performing.

How to use the emotional vs. rational scale

There are two general directions you can go while creating an ad copy: emotional or rational. Both have their undisputable advantages and serve slightly different purposes. 

Emotional ads

Emotional ads aim to engage the consumer on the level of feelings. Since this type of advertising is consumer-centric and appeals to an audience on a personal level, it sometimes comes off as manipulative, especially when trying to evoke the response too hard.

Another negative aspect is purely ethical: emotional ads make people buy on impulse. The reasons why copywriters still go for emotional appeal in their ad copy are simple: those ads sell, win creativity awards, and create memorable experiences together with cultural impact. 

It seems sometimes Nike advertising professionals are taking their ad copy ideas straight from a competition on who will go even more vague. Believe, sacrifice, and just keep doing it. 

This type of ad copy is best for: 

• consumer products 
• B2C 
• shaping brand recognition
• winning an award for the agency

Rational ads 

Rational ads are on the other side of the spectrum. Their primary focus is on educating the audience on the importance and utility of the thing being sold. This ad copy shines on the practical benefits and features, as well as the measurable value for the consumer. Although sometimes coming off as dry and even sterile, rational ads are great for building trust in the brand and overall product/service quality. 

The best recent example of this approach is the bald page-size ad copy for The New York Times by Patagonia, where the company simply states: 

“Fashion is none of our business. 

We began with the idea that if the gear we make isn't of the best quality, someone might get hurt. As our impact on the planet increased, we extended that thinking to how our products are made. If we don't make the highest quality products, we'll just be making more crap no one needs. That's why we've never cared much for trends. Instead, we make goods that are multifunctional, repairable and timeless - because the longer they stay in play, the better it is for the earth." 

This type of ad copy is best for: 

• complicated or professional products 
• B2B 
• shaping brand trust
• sustainability appeal

The general recommendation is to try to write somewhere in the middle of the emotional-rational scale to avoid manipulations and dryness. So, unless the object advertised is purely functional or purely emotional, all great ads are to be found somewhere on this spectrum.

How to use narratives and frameworks

Narratives are specific story structures or argumentative patterns used within any type of content since the times before any word was written. The simplest examples would be children’s stories and urban legends we were listening to as children. Narratives are patterns that help organize the flow of information and ideas in a way that resonates with the audience. These narratives help create a compelling and logical progression in the ad's content.

Here are the most common narratives used in marketing and some advice on how to recreate them:

Before-after-bridge (BAB) 

Describe the current situation or problem that the audience is facing. Paint a picture of what life could be like once the problem is solved. Show how your product or solution can take them from their current state to the desired future.

Problem-agitate-solve (PAS) 

Identify a specific problem that the audience faces. Intensify the problem by highlighting the pain points, making the audience feel the urgency to find a solution. Present your product or service as the solution that effectively addresses the problem.

Features-advantages-benefits (FAB)

Start by listing the features of your product or service. Explain the advantages these features offer. Translate these advantages into direct benefits for the user.

Star-chain-hook

Introduce a compelling idea or main character (often the product or a user of the product). Build a chain of facts or supporting evidence that demonstrates the value of the idea. Conclude with a hook that leaves a lasting impression or a call to action.

Challenge-solution-outcome

Present a challenge that the audience or a character faces. Introduce your product or service as the solution to that challenge. Highlight the positive outcome that results from using your solution.

The hero's journey 

Describe the current state of the target audience where they face a problem. Introduce a challenge or opportunity that prompts them to seek a solution. Present your product or service as the mentor that guides them. Show how using your solution leads to transformation or an improved situation. Highlight how the audience returns to their world, now better equipped and successful.

Frameworks

Frameworks are broader strategic approaches that guide the overall creation and structure of the ad. They often include multiple aspects of the copywriting process, from grabbing attention to prompting action.

Ad copywriters often layer narrative and framework, using a framework to guide the overall structure and purpose of the ad while using one or more narratives within that structure to tell a story.

Can AI write ad copy?

We’re repeatedly told AI is merely a tool made to enhance human creativity, not to replace it. AI models are trained on vast amounts of text data, including advertising copy, marketing materials, and psychological studies. This enables the AI to recognize patterns, effective language, and persuasive techniques. 

While it seems as though AI can generate ideas, variations, and even entire drafts, the human touch is absolutely necessary to ensure the final product is doing more good than harm. Here’s a breakdown of the conditions under which AI can actually help in ad copy creation:

Creativity through pattern recognition

Any automatization of the creative process is based on repetitive patterns (such as the AIDA framework, etc.). AI’s “creativity” comes from recombining existing ideas, phrases, or concepts in various ways - some of them may be original.

It can produce seemingly creative ad copy by juxtaposing familiar elements in unexpected combinations. Giving AI diverse, rich prompts can lead to more creative outputs, which will still be missing the spontaneous innovation humans can demonstrate.

Understanding of human psychology

While AI doesn’t truly "understand" psychology, it can mimic psychological principles based on patterns in the data. For example, AI can generate copy that taps into cognitive biases and try to use them to trigger emotion.

If more context is provided, AI can become more effective. So, logically constructed prompts are essential, as they are AI’s instructions on the desired emotional tone, target audience, or psychological triggers to use for achieving a more human-like ad copy.

Iterative refinement and human feedback

AI excels when it operates in a loop of continuous feedback. Anyone can refine AI-generated copy, making incremental adjustments that the AI then learns from. Continuous feedback and refinement are essential for the best possible quality of the final output.

Overall, when given extensive training data and human guidance, AI might get significantly better at copywriting. But, at the moment, it can’t be trusted and left unsupervised.  

8 more brilliant ad copy examples you can learn from

But AI is not there yet, and here we are, surrounded by high-quality advertising examples. Let’s scroll through some great examples of how those principles of writing ad copy are being implemented today in the red ocean of the market. 

1. Surreal

Everything is great here, including the appreciation of the alleged target audience. The hook is so strong because it really appeals to our daily thoughts and even our nightmares. The out-of-the-ordinary ad sparks the conversation within the marketing community. If community members don’t run to buy the cereals, they will for sure raise the brand exposure.

2. Climate Reality Group | Y&R New York

Note how the combination of large and small print is creating the additional layer. The design is a bit conflicting with the copy, showing both zombies and climate change. But the message itself is resonating. It’s both factual and emotional, reminding people of the irrational fear.

3. Cards Against Humanity

This company is selling and offering a controversial board game for free, primarily for adults.

All of their copy is also controversial, including some ads they were creating together with Green America—nothing is more controversial than a cause. This brand sparked a lot of controversy with their seemingly erratic behavior, but then again, erratic became their thing and made their ads very recognizable.

4. Hendricks Gin to Hendricks Gym

Gin/gym — very clever and profoundly unexpected wordplay lying at the base of this funny and successful ad running throughout “Dry January"—this time after the holiday season when we feel like we never want to drink alcohol again. Now you can pass this time practicing your social interactions and preparing for the better times. The copy is good because it delivers a subtle punch at our attempts to better ourselves.

5. Alzheimer Research UK

You can feel the power of familiar narration: the path of a hero we have known so well ever since we were little. It's a very emotional ad with very sound storytelling. The ancient fight between good and evil is suddenly changing its course, and the happily ever after is not for ever after at all. 

6. Buffy

You can feel how the grumpiness of “said no one ever” is transferring the frustration of a bad sleep. Throwing a contradictory statement only to retract it immediately might resemble rage bate a bit, but it’s actually a form of a humorous pun.

7. SalesOps

SalesOps utilizes the warning sign text to grab attention. You can’t immediately realize it is actually an ad copy, so well this ad passes for a standard warning. The word “massive” gives a strong connotation, and after it is all by the book: persuasive numbers, promise of FREE things, and a CTA.

8. Lavazza

Intentional misspelling is turned into a joke. It's probably appealing to the scene in Big Bang Theory where Sheldon was saying he only drinks hot chocolate on months that have an “M” in their names. Ah, what is life without whimsy? 

Conclusion

As we have seen, ad copy remains a crucial element in modern marketing, blending creativity with strategy to drive engagement and conversions. As we've seen through various examples, effective ad copy can capture attention, evoke emotions, and compel action across different platforms. Human insight and creativity continue to be indispensable, despite the rise of AI tools. 

The art of crafting compelling ad copy involves understanding your audience, choosing the right narrative approach, and balancing emotional and rational appeals. Finally, to write good ad copy, one must be an empathetic person with a very rational approach.